Blow-out preventer



Sept 1938- J. w. fiaccLATcl-ne 2,129,433

' BLOW-OUT PREVENTER Filed Aug. 1a, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JZ/UL "(ma BYRIUM ATTORNEY.

Sept. 6, 1938. J. w. M CLATC HIE BLOW-OUT PREVENTER Filed Aug. .18, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR'. fiJ/uzlK/"lkm 6247M;

' ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BLOW-OUT PREVENTER California Application August 18, 1936, Serial No. 96,619

5 Claim.

This invention is a blowout preventer and has for its object to automatically aline a packer of a blowout preventer with a well string which is to be packed oil, irrespective of any misaline- 5 ment of the well string in the well bore as may result from lateral drift of the well string or improper alinement or play in the rotary table.

it is a further object of the invention to mount the packing medium in a housing which is fixed against longitudinal displacement relative to the well casing on which the blowout preventer is mounted, but which is free for lateral play relative to the well casing so as to maintain alinement of the packing medium with the well string which it packs off.

It is a still further object of the invention to adapt the well string for rotation while packed oil? and at the same time provide for lateral adjustment of the packing medium so as to main- 20 tain proper alinement with the well string.

It is a still further object of the invention to rotate the packing medium with the well string which it packs off, with the, rotating packing adapted to turn relative to a stationary element which is fixed to the well casing, and also adapted for lateral adjustment with relation to the stationary element.

Further objects of the invention will be readily understood fromthe following description of the 30 accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the blowout preventer, partly in axial section.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line of Fig. 2.

The blowout preventer is adapted for mounting on the casing l of a well so as to pack on a well string which extends through the blowout preventer and into the well casing; and in the illustrated embodiment of the invention the packing medium of the blowout preventer is adapted for rotation with the well string which may be a string of usual drill pipe, with the packing 5 medium adapted to pack 01! and rotate with the usual kelly 2 of the drill string.

The blowout preventer includes a body 3 which is fixed to the well casing l, preferably by a usual threaded connection 4, and which has a bore 5 forming a prolongation of the bore of the well casing, with lateral outlets 6 preferably communicating with the bore 5. A housing which is shown as a shell I and in which the packing medium is mounted is flxed against longitudinal displacement relative to the body 1 but is adapted for lateral adjustment relative thereto so that the packing medium may accurately aline with the drill string, irrespective of misalinement of the drill string in the well casing.

For this purpose the body 3 is radially flanged as shown at 8 and the shell 1 has a radial flange 9 which seats on the flange 8. Bolts Ill extend through these cooperating flanges, and the bolt holes II in one of the flanges are of appreciably greater diameter than the bolts to permit relative 10 lateral movement of the elements 3-1. Packing i2. is preferably provided between the flanges 89, and is shown as U-packing having its end open to the well pressure in the bore 5 for operatively expanding the packing. 1 In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the packing medium which is mounted in the housing 1' is adapted to pack off and rotate with the kelly 2 and is therefore rotatable with relation to the stationary body 3, preferably by iournaling the packing medium in the shell I. As an. instance of this arrangement the packing medium may be of the general'type disclosed in my prior U. S. Patent No. 1,708,316 granted April 9, 1929, and includes a body I! which is preferably anti-frictionally journaled in the shell I and packing i6-l| which flts in the bore of the body i5 around the kelly 2, thepacking being preferably held in assembled relation by abutments il-l! which preferably also form a rotary driving connection between the kelly 2 and the body l5.

For this purpose anti-frictional bearings 20-2i may be provided at the ends of the body IS, with the bearing 20 engaging the lower end 36 of the shell I and the bearing 2| engaged by a collar 23 which is threaded into the upper end of the shell; and anti-frictional bearings 24 may be provided at the periphery of the body I! for engagement by the surrounding annular wall of 40 the shell 1.

'A lubricant may be supplied to the bearing space between the body I! and the shell I for lubricating the bearings 2li2i2l, with escape of the lubricant preferably prevented by sealing means which include a packing 26 between the body I! and the adjusting collar 23, and a packing 28 betweenthe body I5 and the lower end of the shell I. The packing 26 may be cup-packing which is flxed to the body l5 and which is adapted for expansion by well, pressure from the bore 5 so as to seal against a collar 21 of the shell I.

The bore 28 of the body II is preferably of greater diameter than the bore 5 so as to permit lateral adjustment of the packing l6-l1 with relation to the body 3 without the bore 23 obstructing the bore 5; and the packing assembly which includes the packing l'6-l1 and its abutments i8! 9 is preferably removably mounted in the bore of the body 55.

For this purpose the abutment 18 preferably rests upon a tapering seat 30' which is formed in the bore of the body 15, with the bore of the abutment of a configuration to fit that portion of a well string which is to be packed oil, the said bore being square in cross-section in the illustrated embodiment of the invention wherein a kelly 2, which in accordance with usual practice is square in cross-section, is adapted to be packed off. The abutment i9 is also received in the bore of the body It and is adapted for telescopic engagement by the abutment- 18, with the packing I6, which has a square bore to fit snugly around the square kelly 2, mounted in the bore of the abutment l9 so as to seat at one end against the abutment [8. The opposite end of this packing may be engaged by a collar 3! which may be adjustably secured in the bore of the abutment 19 by means of a threaded retaining ring 32, and the collar 3| preferably has a square bore so that it also snugly engages the kelly 2.

The packing I1 is mounted between the abutments Ill-l9 at their outer peripheries so as to engage the body 15, and the packing l6-l1 is operatively expanded by adjustably telescoping the abutments l8-I9. For this purpose the abutments l8-l9 are connected by adjusting bolts 33 which also provide a rotary driving connection between the telescopic abutments, and, the telescopic abutments which are thus adapted for rotation with the kelly 2, in turn rotate the body 15, preferably by a splined engagement 34 between the abutment l9 and the bore of the body I5.

The packing assembly l6-l1-l3l9 may be releasably secured in the body l5 by holding means such as disclosed in my aforementioned U. S. Patent No. 1,708,316 granted April 9, 1929. As an instance of this arrangement a sleeve 36 is threaded onto the shell 1, and latches 31 are pivoted to the sleeve as shown at 38. Anti-friction rollers 39 are journaled on the latches, and when the latches are swung to operative position as shown in the drawings the rollers 33 longitudinally aline' with the abutment I9 so that by screwing the sleeve 36 downwardly on the shell 1, the rollers 39 'may be brought into engagement with the abutment I9. The sleeve 36 may be locked in adjusted position by set screws 46.

When the latches 31 are swung on their pivots 38 to their inoperative position, the rollers 33 clear the abutment 19 so as to permit removal and replacement of the packing assembly; and the latches are normally held in looking position but are adapted to be swung to releasing position by means of a ring 42 which is journaled on the sleeve 36. The pivoted latches 31 have projections 43 which are received in cam grooves 44 in the ring 42, so that when the ring is turned in one direction with relation to the sleeve 36 the cam surfaces of the grooves engage the pro-. jections 43 as shown at Fig. 3 and thereby swing and retain the latches 31 in their operative positiori, while turning the ring 42 in the opposite direction with relation to the sleeve 36 causes the cam surfaces of the grooves 44 to longitudinally shift the projections 43 so as to swing and retain the latches 31 in their inoperative position.

A manual control, preferably operable from a remote point, is provided for turning the ring 42 in either direction for projecting or retracting the latches 31, and for this purpose the outer periphery of the ring 42 may form grooves 45 for a pair of operating cables (not shown) which are connected to the ring 42 and wound thereon in opposite directions, so that a pull on one of the cables operatively projects the latches 31, while a pull on the other cable inoperatively retracts the latches.

The invention as thus described provides for conveniently mounting a blowout preventer on well casing so that its packing medium may provide an eflicient pack off for a well string which extends through the blowout preventer and into the well casing, the packing medium being fixed against longitudinal displacement but laterally adjustable with relation to the well casing so as to properly aline with the well string, and the packing medium being preferably adapted for rotation with the well string so as to form a rotating blowout preventer, with the rotatable packing medium freely laterally adjustable with relation to a stationary part of the blowout preventer which is mounted on the well casing.

I claim:

1. In combination, cooperating elements one of which is a stationary member adapted for mounting on a. well casing andthe other of which is a shell, a mounting for said cooperating elements securing said elements against longitudinal displacement but adapted for lateral and rotational adjustment, .and a rotatable packer mounted in said shell, said packer having an opening therethrough for a well string and adapted to rotate with said well string, means expensible by pressure fluid for packing ofi said shell against said stationary member and for packing off said rotatable member against saidshell.

2. In combination, cooperating elements one of which is a stationary member adapted for mounting on a well casing and the other of which is a shell, a mounting for said cooperating elements securing said elements against longitudinal displacement but adapted for lateral and rotational adjustment, and a rotatable packer mounted in said shell, said packer having an opening therethrough for a well string and adapted to rotate with said well string, means expansible by pressure fluid for packing off said shell against said stationary member and for packing off said rotatable member against said shell, latches mounted on said shell adapted for projection to engage the packer and prevent its longitudinal displacement.

3. In combination, cooperating elements one of which is a stationary member adapted for mounting on a well casing, and the other of which is a shell, a mounting for said cooperating elements securing said elements against longitudinal displacement but adaptedfor lateral and'rotational adjustment, and a rotatable packer mounted in said shell, said mounting including anti-frictional bearings and means for retaining a lubricant at said bearings, said packer having an opening therethrough for a well string and adapted to ro- -tate with said well string, means expansible by pressure fluid for packing off said shell against said stationary member and forpacking 0135 said rotatable member against said shell.

with said string, cooperating elements one of which is a stationary member arranged for is a shell in which the vpacker is rotatably' mounted, a mounting for said cooperating elements positively securing said elements in position and arranged for lateral adjustment, whereby axial displacement of the well string in the casing may be compensated and the packer and shell concentrically aligned with said well string, and means expansible by pressure fluid for packing off said shell against said stationary member and for packing off said rotatable meme ber against said shell.

5. In combination,.a rotatable packer having an opening therethrough for a well string for packing off said string and arranged to rotate with said string, cooperating elements one of which is a stationary member arranged for mounting on a wellcasing and the other of which is a'shell in which the packer is rotatably mounted, a mounting for said cooperating elements positively securing said elements in position and arranged for lateral adjustment, whereby axial displacement of the well string in the casing may be compensated and the packer shell concentrically aligned with said Well string, means expansible by pressure fluid for packing off said shell against said stationary member and for packing off said rotatable member against said shell, and means carried by the shell and engageable with the packer for preventing longitudinal displacement of the latter relative to the shell. JOHN W. MACCLATCHIE. 

